This is one of those places that is best enjoyed with beer goggles. (What are beer goggles called for you stomach?). The drunker you are...the 'better' the food will be. The pork sandwich was pretty disappointing. It did have a fairly distinct plastic taste that is either from a really bad slow cooking method, or cheap spices on the rub. They hadn't screwed up the french fries...it was the ketchup that was the mistake. It pretty much tasted like they had left them out...over a very long period (even though this is a new restaurant???). Funky tasting ketchup is never a good sign.
(2)
Nic P.
This place was great. The guy who took our order was really friendly and helpful. The food came out pretty fast. The outside seating area was really nice and clean. I got the boneless pork sandwich and it was amazing. Really good flavor and the meat was tender. Also, their seasoned fries are probably my favorite fries now. My boyfriend got the wholly buns, which were also really good. He preferred the pork over the vegetables ones, but they both had really good flavor. Their BBQ sauce is really unique, in a really good way. The spicy one has a good kick. I was pleasantly surprised by this place and I would recommend it to anyone. I would give it more than 5 stars if I could.
(5)
Kyle M.
I've been here twice. The first time I came, I had a pulled pork sandwich with hot sauce in it (they told me three options: mild, hot, or super hot). I'm like, "I can usually take hot, and I'm in Gainesville. Honestly, how hot can it be?" It was HOT. I sat through that entire meal crying while taking bites of the sandwich in broad daylight. It was good, but it was too hot for me. I'm too used to places BSing what 'hot' means. And if that was 'hot', I can only imagine super-hot. Today I had the chicken wholly buns with mild sauce, learning my lesson from last time. And it was really good, the buns are real nice and soft. It's a little messy because the buns are moist, but I suggest it... Order any side, they're all good. The employees are also super nice. Just go.
(5)
Josh D.
Lets start off with just the appearance. The seating area outside is gorgeous. From the beautiful landscaping to the fun picnic style benches scattered across the patio. Now the food. Honestly was very pleasantly surprised with the quality and taste of everything we had. The chicken was delicious and the Mac and cheese was out of this world. Whatever you decide to eat here, the mac is mandatory. Absolutely try this place. Also, on Wednesdays across the street there is a fun little farmers market style market in the parking lot. Something fun to do before/after eating.
(5)
Jefferson F.
Great place with good outdoor seating and nice owners. One of downtown GVs more laid back food stops.
(5)
Mike W.
While Mojo BBQ brought a high-end sit-down BBQ experience to Gainesville, Wholly BBQ brings a more down-home, simple, approach with an emphasis on take-away though they have seating at their restaurant as well. The location is prime, and if they remain open late on weekends (which I think they do) they should get a lot of business from hungry kids out of the clubs and bars. Getting take-away from them today I found them to be very prompt: I was in a hurry and asked honestly how long they took to prepare an order and they told me "six minutes" but my food was out to me in closer to four minutes. Very impressed with that. I hate hurrying a restaurant but many people have short lunch breaks or otherwise may be in a rush, so it's nice to know a business strong on take-out is also rapid in getting orders together. I ordered the pork wontons and the pulled pork BBQ tacos. The tacos come with two sides so I got collard greens and cole slaw. The tacos were pretty good, it's an interesting and trendy concept but they pulled it off well. The cole slaw was fine, if not especially noteworthy but the greens were far far too salty. That said, I realize anyone who reads many of my reviews will probably conclude I find most things too salty, so maybe that's just me. The pork wontons I expected to have just pulled pork in a fried wonton wrapper but instead are pork rangoons--like crab rangoons--and have both pork and cream cheese instead and are fried then served up with a BBQ dipping sauce. These were actually far better than I'd even imagined: not greasy at all, tasty, warm, and better than most crab rangoons I've had. The portions of everything were generous and the prices reasonable, so I feel that for what they are, this restaurant is doing a very good job and offering high quality. I don't think the BBQ itself may be quite on Pearl Country Store's level but it's certainly good enough and the innovations they've come up with like wontons and tacos are a refreshing change from sandwiches and plates at BBQ outfits.
(4)
Wade I.
Wholly BBQ is a great place to sit down in the shade on a nice day and enjoy your food. I love the outdoor seating and atmosphere of Downtown Gainesville around you. I got the Rib sandwich special with collard greens and really enjoyed it. I thought that it could have used more BBQ sauce on it, but I like my ribs covered in sauce so that could just be a personal opinion. And I could have just gotten more sauce if I was really missing it, but the taste was still delicious so I wasn't complaining! What really sold me were the french fries - GOOD. GOD. They were the best fries I've ever had. They were covered in pork, BBQ sauce, and cheese. And the fries themselves were really long fried perfectly. I don't know what exactly it was on the menu (someone at my table ordered them to share) but they were amazing. Really looking forward to when the bar gets installed! It'll be a great place to grab some food and a beer and then continue around Downtown for the night!
(4)
Dave J.
Finally the reviews are becoming legit, this place is now my favorite BBQ in Gville, making it better than Adam's by a hair IMHO. The dude always working there is down to earth and cool. I like the tacos and the sausage and all of the sides. The best mac and cheese at a BBQ place in town and the best fries too. The only possible downside is that they are small and large groups can wreck their flow sometimes. Like it took 10+ minutes to get the ranch I ordered for my fries after a big group showed up. Definitely will be back, especially to play the hook loop game on the wall.
(5)
sean c.
Awesome BBQ with some unique choices. BBQ tacos and Wholly Buns. The owner takes real pride in his food and restaurant. Wish I lived here, I'd be a regular!
(5)
Charles D.
A terrific BBQ stand in a location that's had a bunch of duds. The pulled pork is very good, and the prices are a steal.
(5)
Payal K.
Being a vegetarian, I was surprised to see they had tempeh! The sandwich was amazing on a perfect day. Definitely worth checking out :)
(5)
Alan W.
The food is slightly mediocre, but the space is BANGIN'. The meat is so-so, pork and cream cheese wonton is amazeballs, fried pickles w/ remoulade is delicioso, baked beans are average, green beans are a miss, cole slaw sucked. However, the vibe is crazy awesome... It's a fun place to hang out with friends, the ordering system is fun, and I really enjoyed myself there!
(4)
Tiara H.
As good as it gets! The mac n' cheese is excellent, the wholly buns are to die for. Seriously, amazing stuff right there. The outside patio is perfect for a Saturday afternoon, they have great drink prices and they have a nice shaded area along with some grassy spots so you can bring your dog and just relax. Rich treated me very well, I will definitely be back. Excellent bbq, excellent customer service, five stars all the way!
(5)
Garrett B.
This place is great if you love kraft BBQ sauce, tasteless pork, terribly flavorless greens, and styrofoam. I will not be back.
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch, Dinner, Late Night Parking : Garage, Street Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Noise Level : Loud Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : Yes Dogs Allowed : Yes Waiter Service : No Caters : Yes
James O.
This is one of those places that is best enjoyed with beer goggles. (What are beer goggles called for you stomach?). The drunker you are...the 'better' the food will be. The pork sandwich was pretty disappointing. It did have a fairly distinct plastic taste that is either from a really bad slow cooking method, or cheap spices on the rub. They hadn't screwed up the french fries...it was the ketchup that was the mistake. It pretty much tasted like they had left them out...over a very long period (even though this is a new restaurant???). Funky tasting ketchup is never a good sign.
(2)Nic P.
This place was great. The guy who took our order was really friendly and helpful. The food came out pretty fast. The outside seating area was really nice and clean. I got the boneless pork sandwich and it was amazing. Really good flavor and the meat was tender. Also, their seasoned fries are probably my favorite fries now. My boyfriend got the wholly buns, which were also really good. He preferred the pork over the vegetables ones, but they both had really good flavor. Their BBQ sauce is really unique, in a really good way. The spicy one has a good kick. I was pleasantly surprised by this place and I would recommend it to anyone. I would give it more than 5 stars if I could.
(5)Kyle M.
I've been here twice. The first time I came, I had a pulled pork sandwich with hot sauce in it (they told me three options: mild, hot, or super hot). I'm like, "I can usually take hot, and I'm in Gainesville. Honestly, how hot can it be?" It was HOT. I sat through that entire meal crying while taking bites of the sandwich in broad daylight. It was good, but it was too hot for me. I'm too used to places BSing what 'hot' means. And if that was 'hot', I can only imagine super-hot. Today I had the chicken wholly buns with mild sauce, learning my lesson from last time. And it was really good, the buns are real nice and soft. It's a little messy because the buns are moist, but I suggest it... Order any side, they're all good. The employees are also super nice. Just go.
(5)Josh D.
Lets start off with just the appearance. The seating area outside is gorgeous. From the beautiful landscaping to the fun picnic style benches scattered across the patio. Now the food. Honestly was very pleasantly surprised with the quality and taste of everything we had. The chicken was delicious and the Mac and cheese was out of this world. Whatever you decide to eat here, the mac is mandatory. Absolutely try this place. Also, on Wednesdays across the street there is a fun little farmers market style market in the parking lot. Something fun to do before/after eating.
(5)Jefferson F.
Great place with good outdoor seating and nice owners. One of downtown GVs more laid back food stops.
(5)Mike W.
While Mojo BBQ brought a high-end sit-down BBQ experience to Gainesville, Wholly BBQ brings a more down-home, simple, approach with an emphasis on take-away though they have seating at their restaurant as well. The location is prime, and if they remain open late on weekends (which I think they do) they should get a lot of business from hungry kids out of the clubs and bars. Getting take-away from them today I found them to be very prompt: I was in a hurry and asked honestly how long they took to prepare an order and they told me "six minutes" but my food was out to me in closer to four minutes. Very impressed with that. I hate hurrying a restaurant but many people have short lunch breaks or otherwise may be in a rush, so it's nice to know a business strong on take-out is also rapid in getting orders together. I ordered the pork wontons and the pulled pork BBQ tacos. The tacos come with two sides so I got collard greens and cole slaw. The tacos were pretty good, it's an interesting and trendy concept but they pulled it off well. The cole slaw was fine, if not especially noteworthy but the greens were far far too salty. That said, I realize anyone who reads many of my reviews will probably conclude I find most things too salty, so maybe that's just me. The pork wontons I expected to have just pulled pork in a fried wonton wrapper but instead are pork rangoons--like crab rangoons--and have both pork and cream cheese instead and are fried then served up with a BBQ dipping sauce. These were actually far better than I'd even imagined: not greasy at all, tasty, warm, and better than most crab rangoons I've had. The portions of everything were generous and the prices reasonable, so I feel that for what they are, this restaurant is doing a very good job and offering high quality. I don't think the BBQ itself may be quite on Pearl Country Store's level but it's certainly good enough and the innovations they've come up with like wontons and tacos are a refreshing change from sandwiches and plates at BBQ outfits.
(4)Wade I.
Wholly BBQ is a great place to sit down in the shade on a nice day and enjoy your food. I love the outdoor seating and atmosphere of Downtown Gainesville around you. I got the Rib sandwich special with collard greens and really enjoyed it. I thought that it could have used more BBQ sauce on it, but I like my ribs covered in sauce so that could just be a personal opinion. And I could have just gotten more sauce if I was really missing it, but the taste was still delicious so I wasn't complaining! What really sold me were the french fries - GOOD. GOD. They were the best fries I've ever had. They were covered in pork, BBQ sauce, and cheese. And the fries themselves were really long fried perfectly. I don't know what exactly it was on the menu (someone at my table ordered them to share) but they were amazing. Really looking forward to when the bar gets installed! It'll be a great place to grab some food and a beer and then continue around Downtown for the night!
(4)Dave J.
Finally the reviews are becoming legit, this place is now my favorite BBQ in Gville, making it better than Adam's by a hair IMHO. The dude always working there is down to earth and cool. I like the tacos and the sausage and all of the sides. The best mac and cheese at a BBQ place in town and the best fries too. The only possible downside is that they are small and large groups can wreck their flow sometimes. Like it took 10+ minutes to get the ranch I ordered for my fries after a big group showed up. Definitely will be back, especially to play the hook loop game on the wall.
(5)sean c.
Awesome BBQ with some unique choices. BBQ tacos and Wholly Buns. The owner takes real pride in his food and restaurant. Wish I lived here, I'd be a regular!
(5)Charles D.
A terrific BBQ stand in a location that's had a bunch of duds. The pulled pork is very good, and the prices are a steal.
(5)Payal K.
Being a vegetarian, I was surprised to see they had tempeh! The sandwich was amazing on a perfect day. Definitely worth checking out :)
(5)Alan W.
The food is slightly mediocre, but the space is BANGIN'. The meat is so-so, pork and cream cheese wonton is amazeballs, fried pickles w/ remoulade is delicioso, baked beans are average, green beans are a miss, cole slaw sucked. However, the vibe is crazy awesome... It's a fun place to hang out with friends, the ordering system is fun, and I really enjoyed myself there!
(4)Tiara H.
As good as it gets! The mac n' cheese is excellent, the wholly buns are to die for. Seriously, amazing stuff right there. The outside patio is perfect for a Saturday afternoon, they have great drink prices and they have a nice shaded area along with some grassy spots so you can bring your dog and just relax. Rich treated me very well, I will definitely be back. Excellent bbq, excellent customer service, five stars all the way!
(5)Garrett B.
This place is great if you love kraft BBQ sauce, tasteless pork, terribly flavorless greens, and styrofoam. I will not be back.
(1)